


They All Fall Down

by Cateia



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Destroy Ending, Drama, Endgame, F/M, Paragon Commander Shepard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-30
Updated: 2014-09-15
Packaged: 2017-12-07 00:34:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/742045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cateia/pseuds/Cateia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Firebase London was Hell on Earth, and that was before Harbinger arrived.<br/>Mass Effect 3 endgame fic. Paragon Destroy ending with high EMS. A series of vignettes to flesh out the endings for several major characters, including what happens to Shepard after she takes that quick breath just before the game credits roll. Rated M for violence, mature subject matter, and language.</p><p>DISCLAIMER: BioWare's world, I'm just playing in their sandbox. Also, haven't beta'd this so any errors are mine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gone

"Major! Sir! You still with us?"

Kaidan Alenko woke with a start. The sound of rushing blood filled his ears as he opened his eyes and blackness faded from his periphery. He shook his head, searing pain overwhelming him as he tried to push himself up with a broken arm.

"Hey, hey, Major. Easy there," Vega muttered as he gingerly pulled Kaidan up to a sitting position. Only then could he see how much blood the Major had lost, how dire the situation was. He tried to speak again, to summon help, but his throat was too dry.

Just then, Commander Kera Shepard came around to the rear of the overturned tank to where her trusted soldiers sat, desperate to shield themselves from Harbinger's lethal beams. She stopped dead in her tracks, mouth agape, as she took in the sight of her beloved Kaidan covered in blood, his armor and body shattered after being struck by a flying tank.

Kera failed to hide the fear in her eyes as she frantically yelled into her comm piece. "Joker! Joker, do you copy! We need an evac! NOW!" She knelt down and eased Kaidan's limp arm around her shoulder. Vega mimicked her and together, they lifted the broken man gently to his feet.

"JOKER! DO YOU COPY?"

A tense silence.

A brief splutter of static.

Kera thought her heart might just stop before Kaidan's—if Joker wasn't responding, if the Normandy was lost…no.  _Can't be. Joker's the best damn pilot in the Galaxy. He'll be here. It's just the beam interfering with communications…but shit…this is taking way too long. I hope Dr. Chakwas has enough units of blood, of medi-gel…_

The roar of the Normandy's oversized FTL drive drowned out the rest of Kera's fears as it descended at the edge of the battlefield. Kera and Vega exchanged a glance behind Kaidan's lowered head and they walked quickly, smoothly, as if hovering above the ground as they delivered the Major to the open bay door of the Normandy.

As soon as Vega and Kaidan were in the bay, Kera jumped to the ground.  _They're safe. Kaidan will be okay. He has to be. If anyone's making a one-way trip…_

"Go-go-go!" Kera yelled into her comm piece. The Normandy started to gain altitude. Kaidan lifted his head just enough to catch Kera's eyes. The hurt in his light brown eyes made the Commander's heart drop into the pit of her stomach. No words were needed—they'd said their goodbyes a few hours earlier—but this time, when their eyes locked…they both knew this was the last time they'd see each other.  _Too loud for words…but what do you say in a moment like this anyway?_  Kera bit on the inside of her lower lip to steady the quivering, to stave off the hot tears that threatened to spill over.

"Commander, I'm coming with you," Vega said as he started to hand Kaidan's limp body over to the crew members gathered to receive him.

Kera put a single hand up, shaking her scarlet bob. "No, James. That's an order. Take care of Kaidan, and take care of the crew."

James started to argue, but as he opened his mouth he noticed her glistening eyes…then the hard set of the Commander's jaw.  _She doesn't think she's coming back…_  He gave Kera a final, stiffer-than-normal salute as the Normandy rose into the smoke-filled sky. James watched intently as the cargo bay door closed around his view of Kera, and just like that…she was gone. He swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut briefly before turning around and helping the other crew members carry Kaidan to the medical bay.

Moments later, the group burst through the door of the medical bay. Dr. Chakwas looked up from wound she was tending and gasped as James placed Kaidan on an open table.

"My goodness! What happened here, Mr. Vega?"

"Flying tank, ma'am. The Major only took a glancing blow, but…"

"Mr. Vega, the best armor money can buy can _not_  shield a soldier from  _that_ ," Karin said as she passed her omni-tool over Kaidan's body, scanning him. She looked at the readout and cringed. "Nurse, would you bring me three units of B-positive and two medi-gel packs, please?"

A petite blonde grabbed two medi-gel packs from the storage cabinet and began rummaging through a large refrigeration unit. Moments later, she stepped away from the cooler and checked a log book nearby.

"Doctor, we just threw out the last B-positive…it was past expiration."

Dr. Chakwas' face blanched.  _Where am I going to find B-positive blood in a war zone?_

"B-positive, you say?" James said, looking at his arm. "I'm B-positive. My blood won't mess up his biotics, will it?"

"Mr. Vega, you are a saint," Karin said breathily as she motioned for the nurse to bring a transfusion kit. "Major Alenko's biotics won't be affected in the slightest. Sit here, and push that button to raise the bed. I need you higher than Kaidan so the blood will transfuse properly."

James sat on the cold metal table and pressed the 'up' arrow on the railing's directional pad. The table's servo gears whined under the weight of the bulky soldier but, sure enough, it rose. He watched as Dr. Chakwas applied medi-gel to Kaidan's exposed wounds and deftly pricked his hand with the transfusion kit. She then turned around and peaked an eyebrow at James.

"Oh, right." James unfolded his arms and held them out for the doctor. She quickly found a suitable vein and stuck him.

"You know, you're pretty good, Doc. Hardly even felt it."

"Please, Mr. Vega, I've stuck more soldiers than you've shot, I'm sure of it," the silver-haired woman said dryly. "Now squeeze on this, or the blood won't flow." She shoved a bright red foam ball into James' hand. He clenched it tightly. "No, no…squeeze and release, over and over…there." Dr. Chakwas passed her omni-tool over the soldier's body and punched a few buttons. "I'm gonna get you a glucose tablet and medi-gel for your own wounds."

James scoffed at the diagnosis. " _My_  wounds? I don't feel any pain. I'm fine. Good to go."

"You know, the power of the human body, particularly adrenaline response, has always fascinated me. You have two broken ribs, Mr. Vega. You're lucky you didn't puncture a lung while carrying Major Alenko."

"Two broken—huh," James muttered as the doctor walked towards the rear of the medical bay. Only then did he feel the stabbing pain in his side. Instinctively, he made his breathing more shallow as he looked down at Kaidan, who was hovering on the edge of unconsciousness again.

Kaidan turned his head towards James. "Thanks," he whispered, giving Vega a weak smile before his eyes fluttered shut.

James squeezed the little red ball rapidly, willing his blood to flow faster.

The petite blonde nurse approached and gently placed her hand on James'. "Now, now, Mr. Vega...we can't take too much of your blood. You need it for yourself."

James shook his head in self-chastization. "You're right…sorry…I just—"

"I know, you only want to help the Major. Our bodies make more blood all the time. He only needs a little of yours to help him do that," the nurse said, flashing a shy smile at the handsome soldier.

James nodded and returned the smile. He was about to ask the blonde her name when Dr. Chakwas returned. The nurse scurried away to check on another patient.

Karin Chakwas looked at James, then at the furiously blushing nurse and clucked her tongue. "Now is not the time for fraternizing, Mr. Vega," she teased as she handed two glucose tablets to James. "Put those in your mouth. Do  _not_  chew them. Let them dissolve slowly, or else the glucose won't absorb properly."

James nodded and put the tablets in his mouth. They were orange-flavored and so tart, he involuntarily puckered his lips for a moment. Dr. Chakwas administered the pack of medi-gel and, moments later, the stabbing in James' ribs stopped. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs without pain. Dr. Chakwas smirked as she withdrew the needle from his arm and applied pressure to the puncture site with a square of gauze.

Vega flashed a wide grin at the veteran physician. "Thanks, Doc. You're a keeper, y'know?"

Dr. Chakwas chuckled lightly, covering the gauze with a bandage. "You as well, Mr. Vega. Now get to quarters and stay there. You're going to be quite light-headed for a while. Major Alenko can thank you for your donation when you return."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you, ma'am," Vega said, standing with a salute. He spun on the balls of his feet and left the medical bay. Passing wordlessly through the crewmembers scrambling about, he reached the elevator and punched the floor number. As the lift jerked into motion, James rested his forearm against the cool metal wall. Forehead met forearm and he let out a huge sigh.

"Dammit, Shepard…why'd you have to run off like that? Who's got your six," he muttered.

The elevator doors opened and James walked towards his bunk, trying to will away the dizziness from blood loss, too much sugar, and military-grade medi-gel. When he reached his bed at last, the wearied soldier plopped down on the edge and buried his face in his hands.

"C'mon, Commander, you got this."  _You have to complete the mission. We need you. What was that Salarian always saying…someone else might have gotten it wrong? Yeah. Only this time, there IS no one else._

 


	2. Hackett Out

Admiral Steven Hackett stood at-ease in the War Room, arms behind his back, observing the screens around him as the Reapers tore through the fleet amassed by Commander Shepard. He was safe, for the moment, aboard the flagship of the Fifth Fleet as it guarded the vulnerable Crucible.

A crewmember ran up behind him, thrusting forward a datapad with the latest reports from Earth. He gave a quick salute before retreating. Hackett read it quickly, then let his hand fall to his side, in disbelief of the news it contained.

He smiled to himself.  _I knew it. Shepard doesn't know how to fail._

"Holy shit, she did it," he muttered, leaning over the railing surrounding the war map and hesitating for only a moment. Hackett shook his head lightly, still amazed. "Johnson, hail the entire fleet."

The Lieutenant punched a few buttons at his comm station. "Aye, Sir. Open, Sir."

Hackett cleared his throat and spoke in his characteristically gruff tone. "This is the Admiral. We've got reports that  _someone_  made it to the Citadel. We need to give them time to get those arms open. All fleets. Converge on the Crucible. Protect it at all costs." He nodded towards Johnson to close the channel and let his head drop, taking several slow, deep breaths as he felt his ship move despite the active inertial dampeners.

_Could this be it? Could this damn war finally be over? Does Shepard—or whoever made it through—have enough left to complete the mission? Godspeed, Commander…or whoever is up there._

The war map flashed with activity as the fleet gathered around the Crucible. Some of the flashes turned yellow as they moved—signalling their destruction—but, thankfully, the majority of the ships that were left stayed blue as they took positions around the massive weapon.  _If it even_ _is_ _a weapon. We still don't know_ _what_ _this thing is gonna do once we combine it with the Catalyst._ Red blips—comically inadequate in representing the mass of the Reaper vessels—split between guarding the Citadel, continuing the assault against Earth, and attempting to cut through the allied fleet. Hackett frowned at the map, knowing it wouldn't be long before the Reapers overwhelmed the fleet surrounding the Crucible.

"Johnson, raise Admiral Anderson on the comms. I want to know who it was that went through the beam."

The young lieutenant nodded and started punching buttons on the comm system as he pressed against one cup of his headset. He listened intently, grimacing after several moments and pulling his bulky headset off in frustration.

"Sir, I can't get him to respond."

Hackett folded his arms. "Hail the Normandy. He may have already been extracted." He crossed the room and stood behind the lieutenant.

Lt. Johnson punched a few more commands into his station touchscreen. "SSV Normandy, this is Fifth Fleet Command, do you copy?" He let out a relieved huff when Joker responded. "Joker, is Admiral Anderson onboard your vessel? I can't raise him on direct comm link…oh. No, that's alright. Thank you. Fifth Fleet out."

"This isn't…have the fleet channel ready to open on my signal, lieutenant." Hackett muttered as he stood upright and strode back to his usual place.  _Maybe he's the one who made it through the beam. If that's the case…if we've lost Shepard…no. Can't dwell on that._ He paced slowly, staring at the blips on the war map as the rest of the fleet amassed itself around the Crucible.

Several long minutes passed. Hackett hadn't noticed that everyone in the War Room was now stock-still, waiting for any sign that the person who made it through had managed to open the Citadel's arms.

A click broke the silence. "Admiral, the Citadel arms are opening."

"Thank goodness," Hackett grumbled as he nodded to Johnson. "This is it, everyone. The arms are opening." He watched on-screen as the Crucible was guided into place, the massive device shedding now-unneeded pieces of shielding as it slowly inched towards what was once the Presidium Ring.

"Ten seconds to contact," the Admiral muttered to the waiting fleet as the Crucible opened four arms of its own, clamping each to the Presidium Ring as the spherical bulk of the weapon inched the rest of the way home. It met with the central hub of the ring and lit up. "That's it, the Crucible is docked."

Hackett looked at the remote sensor readouts for the Crucible and frowned.  _Why is it not working? What more do we need to do?_ He rushed to the communications station. "Try again to get Shepard or Anderson up on comms, Johnson. Maybe now that the Crucible is docked, we can get through."

"Aye, Sir…" Johnson's fingers danced across the touchscreen, and he leaned back after his hails finally got a response, seemingly stunned at the result.  _Huh._ "Commander Shepard's channel is open, Sir."

Hackett's eyes grew wide.  _She_ _did_ _make it._ "Shepard? Commander!"

A wearied voice, heavy with pain, groaned back. "I..uh…what do you need me to do?"

The admiral adjusted the brim of his cap as he listened to Kera's strained grunts and gasps. … _I hope she has enough left..._ "Nothing's happening. The Crucible's not firing. It's gotta be something on your end." A long pause, broken only by continued scuffling and moans, followed. Guilt racked the admiral as he barked his next words. "Commander Shepard!"  _She's struggling…but we can't lose her now…not when we're so close…is it wrong to exercise authority in a moment like this, to call upon her sense of duty? Surely she understands…that's why she's the best damn soldier I've ever known._

Another pause. More labored breaths. Finally, Shepard responded. "I don't see…I-I'm not sure h-how to…" A solid thud ended the transmission.

Hackett's heart skipped a beat. "Commander!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but the channel has been closed," Johnson muttered softly. He tried to reopen the channel, with no luck. "It's being blocked, sir."

The admiral glared at the young man. "Blocked?"

Johnson tried to reopen the channel and scrunched his face as his attempt was met again with a high-pitched squeal. "Yes. Someone—or  _something_ —is on the Citadel with the Commander."

Hackett's lips drew into a thin line as he nodded grimly. "Keep trying. Let me know the instant you open the channel again." He walked back to his usual place at the rail to watch the viewscreen. He leaned forward, staring at the point where Crucible met the Presidium Ring, intent on catching the first sign of activity so he could alert the fleet to fall back.

Admiral Hackett could have sworn he stood like that for hours, waiting…hoping.

Then, finally, something happened.

The ensign monitoring the Crucible's sensors cried out, breaking the tense silence. "Admiral, sensors indicate something is happening on the Crucible."

Just then, Hackett noticed the docking point of the Crucible started to emit a bright red glow. Hackett turned to Johnson. "Fleet.  _NOW_."

Johnson nodded, opened the channel, and gave a thumbs-up.

"All fleets! The Crucible is armed. Disengage and head to the rendezvous point." The red glow emanating from the Crucible began to spread, but the fleet wasn't moving fast enough. "I repeat; disengage and get the hell out of here," Hackett barked. He shifted his weight to adjust for the flagship's tight turn as the pilot started to guide the ship towards the rendezvous point. The Admiral made a slashing motion towards Johnson to close the channel and alternated between watching the rapidly-shrinking view of the Crucible on-screen and monitoring the war map as blip after blip started to move out.

The Normandy wasn't moving, and its proximity to the Crucible all but assured the ship's destruction when the weapon fired.

_Come on, Moreau. Disengage, dammit!_ A brief wave of panic washed over the Admiral. "Hail the Norman—never mind. They're moving now."  _Here's hoping Shepard made it back._

The sinking feeling in the pit of the grizzled Admiral's stomach, however, told him that the Commander had gone on her last mission.

"I'll be in my ready room," Hackett grumbled to his XO as he stepped away from the railing surrounding the war map.

Hackett walked quickly, hands behind his back, staring at the floor as he moved. As soon as he reached the ready room, the Admiral opened a desk drawer and pulled out a flask of Peruvian whisky and looked out his observation window. He couldn't see the Crucible, or even Earth anymore as he took a long pull. As he pulled the flask away from his lips, Admiral Hackett held it out in the general direction of Earth.

"Here's to you, Kera Shepard, wherever you are."


	3. Run Like Hell

_She’ll make it._

Jeff “Joker” Moreau chewed on his lower lip as he monitored the Commander’s comm channel. It wasn’t unusual for Shepard to come straggling out of burning wreckage at the last possible moment—but this was  _really_  pushing the limit. A moment before, Admiral Hackett had called for all ships to disengage and head for the rendezvous point.

The Admiral’s voice broke through again. “I repeat, disengage and get the hell out of here!”

_She’ll make it. Shepard always makes it. Shit. Shit, shit, shit!_ The Normandy’s helmsman resumed his pre-FTL flight preparations, flipping from virtual screen to virtual screen with one hand, desperately trying to raise the Commander on comm link with the other.

Joker was so consumed by this, he didn’t even notice Garrus and Specialist Traynor had entered the cockpit. The Turian’s large hand rested gently on his shoulder.

“Joker, listen. We  _have_  to go,” Garrus said softly.

Behind him, Joker heard Traynor’s muffled sob.

Deep down, Joker knew Garrus was right. It felt so wrong to leave, knowing the Commander was still on the Crucible, but to delay any longer would certainly doom the Normandy and all aboard her. Either way, either decision, was issuing a death sentence.

“Dammit,” he muttered, clenching a fist in an attempt to reign in his emotions. He took a moment to steal a quick breath, then called up the coordinates for the rendezvous point and steered the ship in a hard 90-degree turn. Garrus and Traynor left the cockpit.

“Protocol required you to follow orders, Jeff,” EDI said rather crisply as soon as the others were gone. She paused and looked at the distraught helmsman, the mechanical pupils of her eyes contracting and dilating again as the AI processed his body language and calculated the appropriate response. “Given the current status of the Crucible, it is highly unlikely that Commander Shepard would have returned—“

“Thank you, EDI,” Joker growled. “Prepare for FTL jump on my mark.”

“I…” EDI trailed off as she resumed her duties, confused by his hostile response. She tilted her head as she went through the Normandy’s systems. “Jeff, I am detecting a problem with the navigational system. We are too close to the Crucible. It is interfering. We need to increase our distance from the weapon before we can activate the FTL drive.”

“Understood,” Joker muttered as he chastised himself.  _Waited too long, now the whole crew’s gonna bite it. Way to go, Joker._ He quickly brought the Normandy up to full impulse. “Let me know as soon as the interference is gone.”

EDI nodded sharply. She paused for a moment to process information, her eyelashes fluttering rapidly as she did so. “Jeff, the rate at which the disruption from the Crucible is spreading outpaces the Normandy’s impulse speed by a rate of 2.7 to 1. I am uncertain we will be able to gain the required distance to eliminate the interference.”

“Shit. EDI, can you boost the output of the impulse engines?”

“I can try…yes. Impulse engines are now operating at 110% of nominal range. The disruption is now only outpacing us by 2 to 1.”

“Are we any closer to clearing it?”

Another brief pause. More fluttering eyelids and dancing fingers. “…I have increased the output of the impulse engines to 125%. We are outpaced at a rate of 1.2 to 1. However, at this rate, the impulse engines will overheat and shut down in 45 seconds.”

“FTL jump as soon as it’s ready, EDI. Don’t check with me first. Just do it.”

Precious seconds ticked by as Joker waited for EDI to activate the Normandy’s FTL drive. He watched her at work, transfixed by her ability to process so much information—so many commands—at the same time.  _She is incredible. I’m the luckiest guy in the galaxy._

_Ten seconds._

Joker shifted in his seat and checked to make sure the impulse engines were at full throttle—again.

_Twenty seconds._

Joker’s pulse quickened and his palms began to sweat.

_THIRTY seconds._

“Jeff, the disruption’s rate of expansion has increased five fold in the last 35 milliseconds. I do not think—“

A massive roar drowned out EDI’s words as a bright red shimmer became visible out of the Normandy’s cockpit. The frigate rocked violently and alarms started to sound, filling the space with a cacophony of bells, buzzes, beeps, and flashing lights. Virtually every system of the ship was showing some sort of malfunction. To make matters worse, the electronic flight controls and impulse engines had gone offline. The Normandy was flying at maximum impulse velocity, and if Joker didn’t activate the manual flight controls soon, the ship would hurtle helplessly towards the nearby planet.

“EDI! Help me out here…what’s happening?”

No response.

Joker looked over towards the AI. “EDI— _EDI_!!” Panic overtook him and his heart leapt into his throat as he took in the sight of his beloved, slumped over her station, as if she was sleeping.

_WHAT’S WRONG WITH EDI? WHAT THE SHIT!_

Joker looked out of the cockpit. The nearby planet was growing closer and closer. Years of flight training kicked in at last. He could fly the Normandy without a VI or AI.

He just didn’t  _want_  to.

Joker activated the manual flight controls and started to guide the helpless vessel as it was sucked into the gravitational pull of the nearby planet and plummeted towards the surface. As soon as the Normandy emerged from the upper atmospheric burn-through he engaged the air brakes, but quickly found the ship was simply going too fast for them to be fully effective. Joker had to think fast. Activating the venting system, he used it to provide a tiny bit of reverse thrust to slow the Normandy’s descent and managed to guide her towards a thick jungle. The hull would get scraped and dinged, but having to do a few patch jobs would beat the hell out of experiencing a full impact.  _I will NOT lose the Normandy twice._

He hit the ship’s address button. “All hands, brace for impact. It’s gonna be a real rough landing, folks.”

Joker took his own advice and quickly buckled his safety harness. Pulling back as hard as he could on the flight stick to keep the nose up, he gritted his teeth as the ground grew closer and closer. The helmsman hit the vent exhaust one last time before everything went black.

“Joker…hey, you alright?” Kaidan asked as he gently shook the helmsman’s shoulder. Garrus stood right behind him. “Garrus, go get Dr. Chakwas, Joker’s out cold.” The Turian beat a hasty retreat.

Kaidan nudged Joker again, who finally woke with a start. “Huh, oh hey. Kaidan. Shouldn’t you be in the medical bay?”

“I think you need to be there more than me, right now. Dr. Chakwas is on the way. And yes, the marvels of modern medicine…I’ll have a limp for a bit, but I feel pretty good considering I nearly died.” The Major glanced over at EDI, still slumped over her station. “Hey…what’s with EDI?”

Still groggy, Joker shook his head. “Wha—?” He looked over and the panic he’d felt before impact came back tenfold. He struggled to get out of his chair, pausing to unbuckle his safety harness.

“Easy, Joker. You were out for quite a while. I don’t think you should move until Dr. Chakwas gets here. Let me look at her,” Kaidan urged, approaching the AI. “EDI? Wake up, we’ve landed.”

No response. The mechanical pupils of her eyes were blown, mouth slightly agape. Kaidan searched her body for some kind of power or reset button, but came up empty. He cast a puzzled glance towards Joker, whose eyes welled up with tears as they both realized they didn’t know how…or  _if_ …EDI could be rebooted. Joker sniffled hard, trying not to cry.

Before either man could say a word, Dr. Chakwas strode into the cockpit. “Mr. Moreau, Garrus informed me that you were knocked unconscious during the crash landing. I’d like to check you out, make sure you’re alright.”

“Forget about me, I’m fine. Can you do anything for her?” Joker looked at EDI with a pained expression.

Dr. Chakwas’ heart ached for the young man. “Oh, Joker, I’m so sorry…I really am afraid I know nothing about synthetics…perhaps Tali could be of assistance.”

“I’m going to go talk to the XO, find out what we can about this planet and the Normandy’s systems. If I see Tali, I’ll tell her to go to the medical bay,” Kaidan said, giving Joker a sympathetic look before disappearing through the cockpit door.

Garrus rushed in, moments after Kaidan left. “Oh, Joker. Thank goodness you’re awake. Will you need help to the medical bay?”

Dr. Chakwas looked up from her omni-tool. “Mr. Vakarian, can you take EDI to the medical bay? I’ll have Tali meet you there,”

Garrus glanced at the AI and was shocked to see her in such a state. Swallowing hard, he nodded and carefully scooped EDI up in his arms. “We’ll do all we can, Joker,” he said solemnly, and as quickly as he’d arrived, the Turian was gone again.

Dr. Chakwas scanned Joker with her omni-tool, paying close attention to his head. “You have a mild concussion but, other than that, you’re fine. Your clavicles have hairline fractures, but I suspect that’s from the harness. That experimental treatment for your Vrolik Syndrome really seems to be helping.”

Joker let out a frustrated huff. “Yeah…hey…do we even know what planet we’re on? Is it habitable? Because I kinda…vented most of our air reserves to slow the ship’s speed.” He leaned over his controls and activated the emergency signal beacon.

Karin shook her head and administered a medi-gel pack. She helped him to his feet and grimaced. “Our sensors are offline, Mr. Moreau. Someone is going to have to test the waters, so to speak. But that we are in a lush jungle certainly seems promising.”

Joker started to hobble towards the cockpit door. He paused, bracing himself against the wall and looking down at his feet. “I’ll do it. I got us into this mess because I waited too long to leave the Commander.”

“And who will fly this ship if you perish,” Dr. Chakwas demanded, folding her arms across her chest and shifting her weight.

“EDI,” Joker shot back without hesitation, disbelieving that her condition would be permanent. But as soon as her name slipped from his lips, Joker wondered if he really thought she would be fine, or if he was just lying to himself because thinking about losing her was too much to bear.

“Very well,” Dr. Chakwas said with a dismissing wave of her hand, shooing Joker out of the cockpit.

Joker made his way to the airlock. He had started to pull on an environmental suit when the door opened and Kaidan walked in.

“You won’t need that, Joker. We’re on Nevos. The air will be just fine, as will the Normandy, as soon as Engineer Adams gets the FTL drive back on line.” The Major hit the outer airlock button before Joker could protest.

The door lifted, revealing a sunny, lush, temperate, and  _breathable_  environment. Joker disentangled his feet from the environmental suit and made his way down the ramp first. Kaidan soon joined him and the two looked at the twin moons in the distance.

Joker looked over at the Major and opened his mouth as though to speak, but quickly shut it again when he realized that Commander Shepard probably wasn’t the best topic right now.  _I did pretty much murder his girlfriend when I left her behind._

Kaidan noticed Joker’s hesitation and gave him a weak smile, slinging one arm around the helmsman’s shoulders for a quick hug.

“Well ain’t this a big ol’ love fest,” James teased as he approached the men from behind. He took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the sweet air. “Ahhhhhhh. Hey, this is Nevos, ain’t it? The Asari planet? Mmmmm, I could go for a pretty blue babe or two after dealing with all those Reapers.” He slapped the men’s backs, sending Joker stumbling forward slightly. “Anyway, Tali’s looking at EDI right now, Joker, if you want to go check in with her.”

“Thanks, Vega,” Joker muttered as he walked up the ramp as quickly as he could. His heart was racing, and he felt like the medical bay became further away with every step he took. Finally reaching the bay doors, Joker entered. EDI was lying on her side on the examination table, her hair flipped up like an access panel so Tali could examine her.

“Is she going to be alright, Tali?” Joker hunched over the AI, gently taking EDI’s hand in his.

“I…don’t understand…what…how…” Tali muttered to herself as she probed the AI’s “brain” and worked furiously on her omni-tool. After a few tense moments of this, Tali leaned away from EDI and took a deep breath to steady herself.

“I don’t know any other way to say this, Joker, so I’ll just say it. EDI’s neural network has been fused. There’s nothing I can do.” Tali’s voice broke as she choked out the last sentence.

The last sentence hadn’t registered with Joker yet before he started to demand answers. “What does that even mean, fused? Can you swap it out, like a memory chip?”

Tali stared at the floor and shifted her weight. “I’m afraid not, Joker. EDI’s neural net is the equivalent to our brain. It’s not something you can just… _switch out_. It’s the very essence of who she  _is_ …and when neural networks fuse, the data is unrecoverable. I’m sorry.”

The technical jargon had flown over his head, but Tali’s second apology did not, and reality began to set in.

“She’s…gone?” Joker doubled over like he’d been punched in the gut, steadying himself on the examination table.

Tali nodded somberly and lowered her head, muttering something in Quarian that Joker couldn’t quite make out. She walked towards the exit, pausing to place a hand on Joker’s shoulder for a brief moment.

“If it means anything…it was instantaneous, Joker. She felt nothing.” Tali gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and left him in the medical bay with EDI.

As soon as she left, Joker broke. He pulled EDI off the examination table and into his lap as he collapsed into the chair beside it, cradling her body in his arms. Joker felt a crack in his leg as EDI’s weight settled on it, but he didn’t care. He leaned down and kissed her lips, hoping against hope that somehow, it would help.

Pressing his forehead to her cheek, he started to whisper. “EDI, sweetheart…Tali said you’re gone, so I don’t think you can hear me, but if you can…I’m so, so sorry I snapped at you. I should have apologized right away but I thought I’d have time to later and I can’t believe that…that it…it…was the last thing I said to you.”  Tears streamed down Joker’s cheeks as he sobbed miserably, rocking back and forth with his love in his arms. “No.  _NO_. It can’t end like this! You’re going to be fine. You’re an AI. We’ll just download…”

Joker let his words drift off as he stared into EDI’s vacant eyes for several long, painfully silent moments. He thought about Tali’s words, how the very essence of EDI had been destroyed. There was nothing left of her to download. He nodded grimly, accepting her fate as he slowly closed her membranous synthetic eyelids. Sweeping his fingers gently across EDI’s cold, smooth cheekbone, he removed his errant tear that had beaded there.

“You were perfect…and I will always love you, EDI.”


	4. Breathe

**_Chapter Four—Breathe_ **

The last tremors subsided. All was dark. All was quiet. The Crucible had performed its sole task and now was eerily still. The weapon was still largely intact, but its activation had terminated all artificial life, rendering the majority of the structures on the Citadel useless. Basic systems—electricity, life support, gravity controls—were knocked out, overloaded by the Crucible’s energy burst. The sheer force behind the Crucible’s massive pulse wave had caused significant physical damage to the Citadel. Entire areas, such as Purgatory, were simply gone.

Commander Bailey, one of the few who refused to evacuate the Citadel, came to in the C-Sec office on Zakera Ward and sucked in a desperate breath. The air was thin. _Too thin._ _I’ll die here if I don’t move fast and get into an emergency suit._ Floating in mid-air, Bailey managed to use the desk to push himself towards a bank of storage lockers. He latched onto the fixed structure, working the lock with one hand. He put on an armored suit as carefully as possible, taking care to regulate his breathing. Once his helmet was on and oxygen was flowing, he stayed still for a moment, regaining his bearings. After a moment, he punched a few buttons on his omni-tool and his magnetic boots activated. His feet hit the floor with a hollow _clank_. Laboriously, the Commander trudged forward, step by step, towards the door of the C-Sec office.

As soon as he reached the door, the lights flickered back to life and Bailey could hear the rushing of air as the life support system came back online. _Some of the Keepers must have survived,_ he thought. He was about to flip up his visor when a general alarm sounded.

“WARNING! LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS AT CRITICAL LEVELS!…WARNING! GRAVITY SYSTEMS OFFLINE!”

“I guess I’ll be keeping this thing on for a little while, then,” Bailey groused to himself. He opened the door and gasped. A storage unit which had been right across from the C-Sec outpost was now gone, reduced to flotsam in the vaccum of space. Bailey swallowed hard as he realized just how lucky he was to be alive. _A few more feet…_ Shaking his head in self-chastization, the Commander looked to his left and right. The elevator was gone, which wasn’t a surprise considering that whole side of the building was non-existent. The corridor leading towards the stairs appeared to be intact, however.

The general alarm sounded again, like a broken record.

_Well, it’s either get a move on, or die here. The power pack in this suit only has twenty percent juice. If I ever find out who failed to keep these packs charged..._ Bailey grabbed an extra power pack, just in case. The C-Sec office was only a few feet from the stairwell, and soon he had started the journey down 28 flights of stairs. Using the railing to tether himself, he turned off his suit’s gravity control and floated down the winding stairwell. A few minutes later, he emerged from the main doors of the building. Bailey gasped as he took in the sight. Many of the skyscrapers were either leveled or heavily damaged, the floating rubble snaking its way through the Ward like an asteroid field. Smaller buildings, such as apartment complexes, were burning up the remaining oxygen. Lights in abandoned windows flickered as fluctuations rippled through the Ward’s power grid. But perhaps the most disturbing sight was the near-total absence of any activity. Sure, he knew there had been a call to evacuate the Citadel, but it had gone out only hours before the Crucible docked. That wasn’t nearly enough time for millions of residents to evacuate. Bailey’s chin dropped to his chest and he closed his eyes as he muttered a quick blessing to the Citadel residents who had surely lost their lives.

_Release mag lock on right foot. Step. Engage mag lock on right foot. Release mag lock on left foot. Step. Engage mag lock on left foot._ It was a convoluted effort just to move a few feet. Bailey glanced down at the battery life gauge on his wrist and chastised himself for not grabbing more than one spare power pack.

Just then, Bailey spotted an abandoned shuttlecar that didn’t seem too heavily damaged. He allowed himself a smile and hastened his mechanized steps. Pressing the door release button, he soon realized that something was very wrong. He pulled on the manual release lever and leaned inside. _Dead. Instrument panel’s all dead._ A few fruitless button pushes later, Bailey stood back up. He squinted as he gazed towards no point in particular and suddenly it occurred to him that nothing was functioning properly—nothing which required computer chips, anyway. In that moment, he realized exactly _how_ the Crucible had managed to destroy the Reapers. And he realized that the Citadel, the mass relays, so many integral parts of the galaxy would likely take years, if not decades to rebuild.

_But…the Reapers are dead. I’d gladly pay this price over and over to see those damn bastards gone._

The battery life monitor beeped. Bailey glanced at his wrist, at the flashing red bar. Grimacing, Bailey switched the power pack for the only spare he’d grabbed. He allowed himself a small sigh of relief when the battery monitor filled completely. He kept moving, hoping to reach the small outpost between the C-Sec office and the Presidium Junction. _I know that outpost has more power packs, and if I can just reach the Presidium…I bet that’s hardly damaged. Maybe even fully intact. I can try to raise someone on…oh, shit. I bet comms are down too._

Bailey made it to the station without incident, grabbing as many power packs as he could carry before he resumed his journey to the Presidium Junction. With no artificial day-night cycle or functioning clocks to go by, the Commander pressed forward, unsure of how long it would be until he reached the junction. All he knew is that distance-wise, it was roughly 20 kilometers. On a normal day, it would have taken about four hours to walk, but with the magnetic boots it took at least three times as long. He wondered, for about the thousandth time, if he really would have enough power packs to make it that far.

The battery level monitor on Bailey’s wrist flashed red as he approached the double glass doors leading to the Presidium. The panels had been deactivated, presumably as part of the Citadel’s defense systems, so he had to wedge his hands in the tiny gap and pull the doors apart. He had scarcely slipped through before the panels snapped back like hungry jaws. He surveyed the environment for several seconds before it dawned on him that the breach and gravity warnings were no longer sounding. Keepers scurried about with no issue.

_Well, it’s either take the risk or let the battery run out and find out the hard way if it’s safe._ Bailey twisted his helmet to unlock it, half-expecting to be overcome by a vacuum. When nothing happened, he let out a faint snuff and removed his helmet. Feeling confident, he also switched off the mag-locks on his boots. _Oh thank goodness._

Just then, the sound of metal twisting against itself caught his attention. It was faint, far away, but much different than any of the other sounds the Keepers were making as they busied themselves with the business of rebuilding the Citadel. _That has to be a survivor._ Instinctively, he jogged towards the source, unsure of what he would find.

**_o-O-o_ **

Moments after the Crucible stopped firing, a desperate gasp and frantic scramble disturbed a pile of debris near what had been one of the pillars of the Crucible. A lone hand punched up, briefly clawing at nothing before it started to shove some of the smaller pieces of wreckage away. Another hand emerged. More debris brushed aside.

Kera Shepard sat up, struggling to breathe. She felt around her in the pitch black and found her helmet. Coughing, barely clinging to consciousness, she put it on and locked the helmet in place. As it clicked home, the suit pressurized but the HUD stayed dark. Kera wiggled her helmet a little, figuring the connection must have been loose, before realizing that the HUD was technically an AI. She stayed there for several moments, trying to gain her bearings and manually applying what little medi-gel she had to her wounds. _I’ve lost a lot of blood. Too much blood._ A wave of dizziness crashed over her as her vision blurred.

She knew from her conversation with the Catalyst that all synthetic life was now dead. _Why am I alive? How did I survive?_ A brief flashback to a conversation with EDI reminded her that while she had many cybernetic implants, none affected her brain function. _Thank goodness for the Illusive Man, I guess._

_Where am I? I know I’m still on the Crucible, but how do I get out of here and back to the Citadel—or what’s left of it?_ Kera got on her knees, crawling slowly, until she slid on a loose pile of debris and tumbled down to the platform which had lifted her from the Citadel to begin with. Writhing in pain, she laid on her back, fighting the tunneling black which threatened to close in again.

The platform clicked and Kera felt it start to slowly lower itself back to what she hoped would be the Citadel. Unsure of what had triggered the motion, she didn’t dare move. Gears whined as the platform inched down, down, until at last it stopped, locking into place.

Kera sat up and looked around. The chamber was intact, with the bodies of the Illusive Man and Admiral Anderson right where they had been. She took a deep breath and crawled over to Anderson. She straightened his cap and gingerly took one of his dog tags.

“We did it, Anderson,” Kera choked. “The Reapers are dead. You can rest easy now, big guy.” Tears spilled down her cheeks and just then, Shepard could have sworn she saw Anderson smirk. His _you did good, kid_ echoed in her mind and she nodded, biting at her lower lip. She let out a huge breath and slowly climbed to her feet, grabbing Anderson’s spare thermal clip just in case she encountered stragglers from the invasion. A medi-gel pack tumbled out of his pocket. She scooped it up, applying it to the worst wound—a gash in her side, just below her ribcage tattoo of a stylized K within a maple leaf. Kera couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her beloved Kaidan as her fingers grazed the scarlet design.

But as quickly as the smile came, it was replaced by fear—fear that Kaidan, along with the rest of the Normandy’s crew, might not have escaped the Crucible’s pulse wave. _I wonder if anybody survived on the Citadel._

Kera had no choice but to shake off the terror and move forward. _Standing around and worrying isn’t going to make a damn bit of difference._ Limping through parts of the Citadel she’d never known existed before today, Kera finally found an access door, yanked it open, and crawled through.

_Alright. The Presidium…or what’s left of it?_ Kera barely had time to register where she was before she was shoved out of the way by a Keeper, who disappeared into the access door she just exited. _Need to get to Huerta Memorial…_ A red neon cross flickered briefly just a few hundred feet to her right. Kera pulled off her helmet and clung to the wall as she eased herself along. _I don’t know if anyone will be there, but surely there has to be medi-gel…maybe even some blood. Transfusing myself can’t be that hard, can it? We have the equipment…oh. Shit. No, we don’t. Not since I…no. Can’t dwell. Pull it together, Shepard. You’re almost there. Figure it out when you get there. Push._

Kera was maybe fifty feet from the hospital when she dropped to her knees, the pain from her injuries overwhelming her again. She didn’t want to know how many bones were broken, but at the very least she had broken several ribs, her left arm, and possibly done something to her right leg. Her vision was a bit blurry as well—a sure sign she’d sustained a concussion. On all fours, she sucked in each breath like it was her last, squeezing her eyes shut as if to will the pain away. _Just a bit further…I can crawl…_

“SHEPARD?” The voice was masculine, familiar.

“B-Bailey?” Kera responded weakly, voice shaking.

“I’ll be damned. You made it. But you’re in terrible shape. Here, let me help you,” Bailey said as he crouched down. He started to pull Shepard’s left arm around his shoulder when the woman screamed in pain. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s…fine,” Kera said through clenched teeth. “I think it’s busted. My right arm is okay, though.” Bailey nodded and switched sides, gently helping the Commander to her feet. They shuffled together the rest of the way to Huerta Memorial, Bailey once again forcing the doors open.

“Thanks,” Kera muttered as she wiped her hand across her forehead. “How’d you—“

“I can’t believe it, the staff is all here, just like nothing happened. Well…except for the whole no-computers-work-anymore thing. Come on,” Bailey commanded as he helped Shepard through the lounge, back towards the inpatient area.

As soon as the doors opened, a Salarian and an Asari rushed forward, snatching Shepard from Bailey and whisking her away to a private room. A pair of nurses followed close behind.

A young brunette approached Bailey. “Sir, are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh yep, I’m fine. I just brought Commander Shepard—“

“If you’re not injured, Sir, please go back to the Lounge. We can’t afford to have extra bodies standing in the way.” The brunette spun Bailey and pointed him towards the door. He nodded and exited, making his way to the information desk.

“Commander Bailey, you survived,” the Asari receptionist said cheerfully. “We’re starting to get reports of widespread damage and power outages throughout the Citadel. Is it really as bad as they say?”

Bailey grimaced and nodded solemnly. “’Fraid so. I came from Zakera Ward. Looked like a damn asteroid belt with all the rubble. Gravity’s down, life support is barely functioning. The only part that seems to have made it through unscathed is the Presidium.”

The receptionist gestured towards the massive windows. “You should have seen it. The Keepers swarmed here just before a huge red light flashed and all these tremors started. They’ve been busy ever since.”

Bailey shrugged. “Huh. It’s like they knew, eh? Say, uh, have you checked the comms?”

The Asari nodded and smiled. “Oh, yes. I spoke with my sister on Thessia just a moment ago.”

“Really? Could I--?”

“Of course,” the receptionist said brightly as she gestured for Bailey to come around behind the desk. He flashed her a grateful smile and looked at the comm system. _Who to contact first…my family? Fifth Fleet? The Normandy?_ After a moment, Bailey made his choice and punched a few buttons on the comm. 


	5. The Great Gig in the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The memorial ceremony aboard SSV Normandy takes a dramatic turn.

Kaidan Alenko stepped onto the crew deck of the Normandy, surprised to see nearly every crewmember gathered around the memorial wall. He looked at the nameplates in his hand and swallowed hard. Most officers would be glad to have lost only three soldiers during a battle as intense as the final Reaper push, but these three nameplates represented the best of humanity as well as synthetic life.

 _EDI…Admiral Anderson…and…and…_ Kaidan couldn’t even bring himself to think about Shepard’s nameplate, let alone look at it. Yet, as the ranking officer aboard Normandy, the crew looked to him to lead the memorial service and begin the healing process.

The gathered crewmembers automatically parted for Major Alenko as he approached the memorial wall. He turned sharply to face them, noting that most were actively crying. He was initially surprised that Traynor, Adams, Donnelly, and Daniels were missing, but quickly reminded himself that they were working hard to get as many ship systems restarted as they could. _Life must go on…especially since we’re stranded here until we get the engines online._

“Men and women of the SSV Normandy: I stand before you today, tasked with the hardest assignment I’ve ever been given. I must lead you all in saying farewell to three of the finest _people_ I’ve ever served with,” Kaidan boomed.

A few crewmembers glanced curiously at Kaidan’s description of EDI as a person, but quickly shrugged it off.

Kaidan cleared his throat and continued. “These men and women gave their lives in defense of freedom, and we should be eternally grateful for their sacrifice.” He turned to the wall and peeled the paper from the double-stick adhesive on the back of EDI’s aluminum nameplate, before pressing it solemnly into position. “Let us first remember EDI, the AI who aided the Alliance in securing the Normandy from Cerberus forces. Let us remember the AI who bravely risked herself to occupy an inactive Cerberus mech so she could support us, even on the ground. Let us remember the AI who continually sought to improve herself, and strove to be as human as possible, despite knowing our flaws. Her sacrifices will never be forgotten.”

The crowd muttered “here, here.” Joker wailed and dissolved into a mess of tears. Garrus and Tali consoled him.

Next, Kaidan carefully mounted Admiral Anderson’s nameplate in the prominent central space between the columns of fallen crew names. He let out a sigh before turning towards the crew again. “Let us remember Admiral David Anderson, one of the finest soldiers humanity has ever seen. He served bravely, even until the last. He was one of the few humans ever to be considered for Council Spectre, and led the resistance on Earth despite the odds. I know I’m not the only one to have considered him a father figure. He truly cared about the men and women serving under him. Humanity has suffered a great loss. His sacrifices will never be forgotten.”

The crowd mumbled another collective “here, here”, punctuated with a few muffled sobs.

Kaidan turned slowly towards the memorial wall for the last time. Fat tears fell onto Kera Shepard’s nameplate as he stared at it, willing the engraved letters to morph into someone—anyone—else’s name…but they didn’t. They never would. Trembling fingers fumbled with the paper covering the adhesive, but Kaidan willed himself to handle this bravely, images of her flashing through his mind as the paper slowly peeled away. _Oh, my precious Kera…I remember when we met…our first kiss…fighting side-by-side…feeling her warmth in my arms at night…what we had was perfect. Even if I lost her a thousand times, I wouldn’t change a thing. I will always love, you, Kera Marie. ALWAYS._

Kaidan’s arms felt like lead as he tried to raise Shepard’s nameplate to its place just below Anderson’s. Just as he was about to press the permanent adhesive into place, he was struck with the urge to breathe in—hard. Kaidan’s chest fluttered as he gasped, each breath seeming to lift the weight of a thousand Earths off his shoulders. He looked at the nameplate again and could have _sworn_ the letters had disappeared.

Kaidan lowered the nameplate with a smirk and left without saying another word. The crew was abuzz, trying to figure out why the Major would leave without paying homage to their Commander. There was no doubt she’d died during the final attack, whether it was before or after the Crucible fired. Garrus and Vega looked at each other before deciding to pursue Kaidan.

Kaidan was nearly at the CIC stairwell door when Traynor came dashing through. Garrus and Vega weren’t far behind, shouting for Kaidan to stop.

“Major Alenko! I’ve just gotten the comms back up, and you have a message from Admiral Hackett—priority one,” she gasped. “I’ve got it in the comm room.”

Kaidan didn’t say a word as he charged past Traynor and ran towards the comm room. He could hear the static, but there was no visual.

Traynor rushed in right behind Kaidan, followed quickly by Garrus and Vega. She started pressing buttons in an access panel to clean up the signal. “Sorry—no computer chips mean no visual, and the audio is analog so it’s going to be quite staticky, but I’ll be right here to fine tune it…unless you want me to leave.”

“No, no…it’s alright, Traynor. Stay. I need your help,” Kaidan said as he inched closer to the crackling speaker. “Garrus…Vega…I’m sorry, but I’ll brief you as appropriate, afterwards.” The two nodded and left the comm room. Kaidan shut the door behind them.

Traynor turned a dial, and the static gave way to somewhat garbled audio. She tweaked the dial a bit more, and the audio became crystal clear.

“—live. I repeat, Major Alenko, or whoever is the ranking officer aboard the Normandy…this is Admiral Hackett. If you can hear this…Commander Shepard is alive.”

Traynor gasped, and in her shock, accidentally bumped another dial, turning Hackett’s voice into an ear-splitting squeal. She quickly hit another button and the audio stopped.

“We need to raise him on comms, Traynor. ASAP.”

Samantha nodded and put on a headset, twisting and tapping and flipping all manner of dials, buttons, and switches inside the access panel. She grimaced a few times, Kaidan able to hear the offending feedback despite her headphones.

“I think I’ve got it,” Traynor shot over her shoulder before bringing the microphone closer to her mouth. “SSV Normandy to SSV Orizaba. SSV Orizaba, do you copy?”

Tense moments passed as the comm stayed silent. At last, Traynor heard a faint click and crackle. “copy…th…Orizab…” She recognized the voice as her former classmate, Lieutenant Mitch Johnson, and sighed in relief.

“SSV Orizaba, trouble receiving signal. Lieutenant Johnson, advise to boost comm wattage to 120, over.”

More time passed. Traynor unplugged her headset, allowing the audio to come through the panel’s box speaker. Kaidan grabbed an empty storage crate, ditching the now-unneeded nameplate for Shepard inside. He slid it over to where Traynor worked on the comms, sitting down and gesturing for her to do the same. Traynor smiled gratefully and sat down beside him.

Another click and crackle. “SSV Orizaba to SSV Normandy. Do you copy now, Sam?”

Traynor chuckled and pressed a green button by the built-in microphone. “Acknowledged, Orizaba. Much better. Major Kaidan Alenko requests to speak with Admiral Hackett, priority one.”

“Copy that, Normandy. One moment,” Johnson replied.

The speaker clicked, clacked, and then clicked again. “Major Alenko, this is Hackett. Did you receive my last?”

Kaidan leaned into the microphone. “Acknowledged, Admiral. Do you have the Commander’s whereabouts?”

“She’s aboard the Citadel. Somehow, Huerta Memorial was practically undamaged by the Crucible pulse, aside from the computer systems going down. What’s your status?”

“Just got comms back. Adams, Donnelly, and Daniels are working on getting engines back online.”

“Roger that, Major, but you likely won’t get FTLs back. We’re still in the early stages of discovering how much was damaged by the pulse, but it appears whatever it was has scrambled every computer chip in its path.” Hackett paused. “I assume we’ve lost the AI…called itself EDI, right?”

“Unfortunately, yes…we lost EDI,” Kaidan replied. “And if our computers are permanently out…we’re on Nevos. I’m not how quickly we can make it back to the Sol system. I mean, we got here on impulse engines, so we’re within range, but I’m not sure how well they will run without computers.”

“Mm-hmm. There are worse places to have landed, Major. Consider yourself lucky you can breathe the air and drink the water. Keep working on impulse engines and get that bird in the air. If we find a way to work around the computers to get FTLs back, we will advise.”

“Understood. Any further information, Admiral?”

“She did it, Major. The Reaper threat has been eliminated. I’ve advised the Chief of Staff at Huerta Memorial to pull out all the stops to save Shepard.”

Kaidan bit his lip as tears stung his eyes. He hadn’t stopped to consider that even though she was alive, she might be badly hurt. “Any word on her condition?”

“I won’t lie, Major…it doesn’t look good. Multiple broken bones, lost a lot of blood, possible head trauma. Without access to their computerized tools, the doctors are going in blind. They’re mending her the old-fashioned way. If she makes it…well, perhaps it’s best not to speculate.”

Kaidan choked. “Right. Thanks for the update, Admiral. Will advise when the bird flies the coop. Alenko out.”

Traynor looked at Kaidan mournfully as he backed away from the comm, burying his face in his hands. “She’s alive, Kaidan. Focus on that.”

Kaidan wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and sniffled. “Right…it’s just…I want to be by her side more than anything right now, but our engines…”

Traynor gently touched Kaidan’s shoulder. “Engineer Adams actually recognized right away that all the computerized systems were destroyed. And despite how much he babbles, Donnelly is amazingly talented with mechanical systems. I think we’ll be back up before you know it. In fact, why don’t we go talk to him right now?”

“Hold on, Lieutenant,” Kaidan started, “I should let the crew know their Commander is alive. It’ll give them some hope. Do we have the PA functioning?”

“Of course.” Traynor fiddled with the access panel once more. “There,” she said, pressing a blue button and gesturing for Kaidan to speak.

Kaidan raised his eyebrows, impressed. “Attention, crew of the Normandy. This is Major Alenko. We have restored comms and spoken with Admiral Hackett. He has advised that Commander Shepard is alive and currently being treated at Huerta Memorial. Now, as some of you may be aware, the Crucible pulse knocked out all our computer systems. We need to get our engines back up and running manually, ASAP. Anyone with mechanical skill needs to report to Engineer Adams immediately. Let’s go get our Commander. Alenko out.”

  

**_oOoOoOo_ **

  

Several minutes later, Kaidan and Traynor arrived in Engineering, stunned to find a dozen crewmembers—including Tali—standing before Adams, receiving orders. The newly-designated engineers saluted their new boss and scattered to their designated areas. Adams himself grabbed a wrench and started to walk towards the drive core.

“Adams, wait!”

Adams stopped at the sound of Kaidan’s voice, appearing slightly annoyed by the interruption. “Major? Can I help you?”

“How are you coming on the engines?”

Adams twirled the wrench in his hands as he spoke. “Pretty well, actually. I hate to say this, but Cerberus actually did us a favor. They built her with manual controls. Only problem is, they’re in access panels on each of the engines. What I’ve been working on is hardwiring those controls into my panel here, otherwise I’d get fried as soon as the engines fire up. We also need to test the connection to the cockpit—no more flying by wire for us, but again, all SSVs are built with manual controls for just this purpose. I estimate we can be back up in the air by morning.”

“Wow! And I thought we’d be stuck here for weeks. This may be a bit premature, but that’s some excellent work, Adams.” Kaidan grinned and patted Adams on the back.

Adams gave a half-smile before quickly returning to his stern self. “Right. Now, if you’ll let me…I have some engines to prep.”

“Of course. Keep me posted," Kaidan said. Adams rushed towards the drive core.

  

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Several hours later, Kaidan sat on the edge of Kera’s bed, looking at a picture of them from the party she’d thrown at her apartment on the Citadel. _Apartment’s probably obliterated. Damn this war. She deserved to have that place. Hell, she deserves so much more._ He touched the picture, broad-tipped finger resting gently on her cheek. _I’m coming for you, Kera. Just hold on._

A knock echoed through the cabin.

“Come,” Kaidan barked.

Garrus entered, approaching Kaidan. “Kind of at a loss for things to do without any guns to calibrate,” he started awkwardly. “I mean, they work…just nothing to shoot at. For now.”

Kaidan failed to stifle his laugh, shaking his head at the Turian.

“Anyway, I came here to give you some updates. Adams is testing the cockpit controls one last time, and then we are good to go. They couldn’t consolidate all the impulse controls into one panel, so Tali is down there and the four of them will coordinate engine functions. We had some of the crew gather as much eezo as they could for the engines. Cortez is up in the cockpit to support Joker. He says he’s OK to fly, but…he’s still pretty upset about EDI. I hope he keeps it together.”

“He will,” Kaidan whispered. “He’ll do it for her.”

Garrus nodded somberly before continuing. “Um…let’s see…Liara has been our Asari liaison for supply replenishment. Doctor Chakwas is handling residual injuries. Javik is still grumbling about primitives, but he and Vega are helping with fuel delivery,” Garrus said. “And as for Traynor…she managed to contact Huerta Memorial directly.”

Kaidan perked up. “And? How’s Kera?”

Garrus never failed to be surprised whenever the Major used Shepard’s first name. “Well…they’ve got her stabilized enough to do surgery. That’s really all they would say.”

The lights dimmed slightly and the Normandy shuddered as her impulse engines sparked back to life. The cabin hissed as it began to pressurize.

Kaidan leapt to his feet. “Then let’s go find out how she is for ourselves, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, gosh. I didn't realize I'd left this for so long! Anyway, I haven't beta'd this, so all errors are mine. Also, I took the name of Hackett's ship from the known Fifth Fleet flagship of 2185--if you play the Spacer origin, the Orizaba is the ship Shepard's mom is on, and it is referred to as the flagship of the Fifth Fleet. Again, apologies for the extended delay, and I hope to wrap this up soon. Over halfway done! Thank you all for the kind comments, kudos, and recs. I really appreciate the support. <3


End file.
